Museu del Disseny de Barcelona
Design museum on the Plaza de les Glòries with four permanent exhibitions on objects, fashion, materials and visual communication.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Since 2014 the Museu del Disseny de Barcelona has brought together the collections of four municipal museums: the Museum of Decorative Arts, the Museum of Ceramics, the Textile and Costume Museum and the Graphic Arts Cabinet. At the start of the 2000s the city council wanted to create a single centre where the public could understand design in its broadest sense.
The building, by the studio MBM Arquitectes (Josep Maria Martorell, Oriol Bohigas, David Mackay, Oriol Capdevila and Francesc Gual), won the competition held in 2001 and stands on the Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes. Work was completed in 2013 and the museum opened on 14 December 2014. The building is also home to the Disseny Hub Barcelona, which hosts organisations such as the FAD and the Biblioteca y Archivo del Diseño (Design Library and Archive).
The collections cover decorative arts and product design, textiles and fashion, and graphic arts. They are presented in four permanent exhibitions spread over several floors: “Objectes comuns. Històries locals, debats globals”, “Matter Matters. Dissenyar amb el món”, “Dissenyes o treballes? La nova comunicació visual. 1980-2003” and “El cos vestit. Siluetes i moda (1550-2015)”.
Disseny Hub Barcelona is a public facility dedicated to the creative industries and to promoting design heritage and culture, with a programme of temporary exhibitions, educational activities and a specialised library.
Highlights
- Four permanent exhibitions on product design, materials, fashion and visual communication
- “El cos vestit”: the evolution of silhouette and fashion from 1550 to 2015
- “Matter Matters”: 709 pieces on the materiality of design
- MBM Arquitectes building on the Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes
- Design Library and Archive with reading room
Permanent exhibitions
- Objectes comuns. Històries locals, debats globals – A journey through the history of product design between 1930 and 2020, with a space for debate on global issues and a section on city design.
- Matter Matters. Dissenyar amb el món – Exhibition of 709 pieces that reflects on the materiality of design and on the challenges of scarce raw materials and carbon neutrality.
- El cos vestit. Siluetes i moda (1550-2015) – Shows how clothing changes the silhouette of the body, enlarging, reducing, lengthening or outlining it, from the 16th century to today.
- Founded
- 2014
- Operated by
- Ayuntamiento de Barcelona (Institut de Cultura de Barcelona)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6.20 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4.20People aged 16 to 29 and 65 or over, holders of the reduced Targeta Rosa, unemployed people, single-parent and large families, Barcelona Card Express holders, users of the Barcelona library network and of the Design Library and Archive; adults accompanied by children under 16 (maximum two adults per child) |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 15 · Free admission for children under 16. |
| Seniors | €4.20Reduced admission from age 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission with a disability card and for a companion who needs support from a third person. |
| Students & apprentices | €3.10Rate of €3.10 for students of design schools with an agreement with the museum. |
Free admission: Sundays from 15:00 to 20:00, the first Sunday of each month, 12 February (Santa Eulàlia) and 24 September (La Mercè).
Admission includes the four permanent exhibitions; temporary exhibitions are charged separately and sold at the information desk. Free admission also for holders of the free Targeta Rosa, the Barcelona Card and the Gaudir Més programme, members of ICOM and the Associació de Museòlegs de Catalunya, practising professional tourist guides, accredited teachers and accredited journalists. The museum accepts the Bono Cultural Joven.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Mobility is guaranteed throughout the building, both horizontally and vertically, and all toilets are accessible. Two wheelchairs are available on request, and the information counters have an accessible section and an induction loop. There are rest areas next to the lifts and in some exhibitions. Two spaces reserved for people with disabilities on calle de Bolívia (numbers 15 and 27). For visually impaired people there is a guidance route to a tactile model of the building, a directory in Braille and large print, and a handout in Braille and large print.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 15 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
Family activity programme with workshops and visits, for example on plant fibres and the traditional broom. Children under 16 enter free.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Glòries (L1, T4, T5, T6)
Metro: L1, Glòries station. Buses: 7, 192, X1, H12, V23, N2 and N7. Tram: T4, T5 and T6, Glòries stop. Rodalies commuter rail: R1, R3, R4 and R12 (Arc de Triomf) and R1, R2 and R11 (El Clot-Aragó).
By car
Paid parking
BSM car park on calle de Badajoz, 168. Bicycle parking on calle d'Irena Sendler, 1 and on calle de Badajoz, 175–177; Bicing stations at Meridiana/Encants and Bolívia/Àvila.
- Accessible parking
The main entrance from the Plaça de les Glòries Catalanes is temporarily closed; the entrance is via calle d'Irena Sendler, 1 (corner with calle d'Àvila). From Glòries station the lift is reached via the exit onto the Meridiana avenue.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café
- Restaurant
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
- Wi-Fi
DBar, a café-restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, and DShop, a design shop. Free lockers on the ground floor. Wifi in the foyer, the Design Library and Archive, the auditorium, the exhibition rooms and the educational workshops.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Corporate events
Spaces are rented for events of organisations and companies: the auditorium, room F and room A. Requests to dhubespais@bcn.cat.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Personal photos and videos are permitted in the rooms, without flash or tripod. |
| Good to know | The guided visit “Tastet” of the four permanent exhibitions takes place on Saturdays at 11:00, is included in the admission price and needs no advance booking (in Catalan; on the last Saturday of each month, in Spanish). Guided visits for groups and school visits must be booked in advance (school groups 15 days ahead) at dhubreserves@bcn.cat or +34 932 566 801. From 12:30, groups with their own guide may visit independently with a booking. Programmes for social organisations are offered through Apropa Cultura. Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult; scooters, bicycles and other vehicles are not allowed inside and must be left in the cloakrooms. |
